Aid agencies turn to open-source software

A VIRTUAL emergency response centre dubbed Collabbit could be just what relief agencies need to coordinate their aid efforts in the aftermath of a disaster when speed is crucial.

Collabbit is the handiwork of the Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software project (HFOSS). It acts as central repository for information, sending out project updates to workers via RSS or text message. Collabbit recently performed well in a simulated emergency.

William Anderson, an emergency coordinator contacted HFOSS after hearing about the work it had done in developing applications in response to the Asian tsunami. He had become frustrated with the …